Canada-Vanuatu relations

Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations were established on July 30, 1980, making Canada one of the first fifteen countries with which Vanuatu established diplomatic ties following its independence. Like Canada, Vanuatu is a member of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. Vanuatu has three official languages, which are Bislama, English and French.

Bilateral relations are cordial. Canada and Vanuatu share interests with respect to fisheries and are both parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Canada is also a Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum to which Vanuatu belongs.

In Vanuatu, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Vanuatu does not have an official representative accredited to Canada. About 30 people who live in Canada are born in Vanuatu according to the 2021 Canadian census.

Trade relations

Canada's trade relations with Vanuatu are managed from the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Canada has limited trade relations with Vanuatu. In 2024, total bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Vanuatu was $629,668. Canadian merchandise exports amounted to $276,994, comprising mainly machinery and transportation equipment. Imports amounted to $352,674 and were mostly animal products.

Development

Canada supports small and community-focused projects in Vanuatu through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). In the past 5 years (2020 to 2024), Canada has supported 16 CFLI projects in Vanuatu for approximately $843,000. In 2024-2025, Canada supported 6 projects in Vanuatu across a range of different thematic areas: access to justice, cyber security, access to clean water, civil society development and economic recovery from the December 2024 Port Vila Earthquake.

Vanuatu has also been a beneficiary of several ongoing or recent Canadian development projects in the Pacific Islands region including:

The Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (CAAF) is implementing a $5.6 million Accountability for Inclusive Public Services project in Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu and Kiribati, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. This project aims to enable the participating countries’ supreme audit institutions to conduct more effective performance audits that lead to government programs better responding to the needs of the most vulnerable, with a strong focus on gender equality, inclusion, environmental protection and risk mitigation, and human rights.

The Kiwa Initiative – Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience is a multi-donor, pan-Pacific, initiative funded by Canada, France, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. Since 2020, Canada has been contributing a total of $16 million to strengthen capacities of local and national governments and civil society organizations to design and implement nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation at local, national and regional levels through granting facilities.

The Strengthening Small-Scale Fisheries in the Pacific Islands is a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and to which Canada has contributed $2 million. It aimed to increase the resilience and adaptability of fishermen and fisherwomen to the climate changes affecting their livelihoods and food security, in the vulnerable coastal communities.

Through UN Women (2017 to 2024), Canada provided $3.85 million to implement the Markets for Change project which supported female merchants in rural and urban markets in Vanuatu, Fiji, and Solomon Islands by ensuring that markets provide safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory environments.

The Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) is a project implemented by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and to which Global Affairs Canada contributed $9.5 million (2021 to 2024). Environment and Climate Change Canada is now supporting it with another $5 million. The CFAN benefited Pacific Small Island Developing States and others in securing and structuring finance for priority climate projects by cultivating a network of highly trained, embedded climate finance advisors.

The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) is a project implemented by the World Bank, to which Canada has contributed $1.5 million. The PCRAFI provides the Pacific Island countries with disaster risk assessment and financing tools, including sovereign insurance, for enhanced disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) is a demand-driven $11.6 million technical assistance facility designed to contribute to improving the policy and regulatory environment for trade and investment in ODA-eligible countries in the Indo-Pacific region in support of poverty reduction and women’s empowerment. Since 2018, CTIF has supported seven technical assistance projects in the Pacific Island countries valued at approximately $1.1 million. One of these projects has benefited Vanuatu so far: the Comprehensive Assessment of the Implications of Implementing the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement on Six Pacific Island Countries WTO Members Phase I (2023-2024, $67,000) and Phase II (2025-2026, $240,000).

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) Special Requirements Fund has received annual contributions of $68,000 to $100,000 from Canada in recent years. It aims to support capacity-building among the members of the Commission such as Vanuatu.

Humanitarian aid

In late December 2024, following the devastating 7.3 earthquake that struck Vanuatu, Canada allocated over $515,000 in flexible funding to its partners to help respond to needs of disaster-affected people in Vanuatu. In October 2023, Canada had provided $135,000 for emergency assistance after Tropical Cyclone Lola had hit Vanuatu.

Partnerships and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Vanuatu work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

Date modified:: 2025-10-28

Language selection

Search